Bilateral relations

Australia and Cambodia are longstanding bilateral and regional partners, and celebrated 70 years of bilateral relations in 2022. This was an important opportunity to reflect on our long history of cooperation in health, agriculture, infrastructure, education and our people-to-people links, including Australia’s significant contribution to the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC, 1992-1993).

Appreciating our deep history, Australia maintains a strong commitment to Cambodia's development. We engage with Cambodia on issues of bilateral, regional and strategic importance, including through ASEAN, and support improvements that benefit Cambodian people. We are co-members of the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum, and Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

Follow the Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh's social media for the latest updates.

Trade and investment

Cambodia has been one of the fastest growing economies in the Indo-Pacific region over the previous decade. Cambodia's economy continues to shift towards industry but is still concentrated in tourism, garments and construction.

As a least developed country, Cambodia's products are granted tariff-free access to Australia. Cambodia and Australia have a bilateral market access agreement, concluded as part of Cambodia's accession to the WTO in October 2004.

Our trade relationship is modest but growing quickly. In 2022 two-way trade in goods and services was valued at approximately $1.1 billion. Our top imports are gold, clothing, recreational travel, footwear, travel goods and bags. Our top exports are education-related travel, cereal preparations, recreational travel, coal, and beef. In 2022, the five-year trend in growth of Australia’s merchandise trade with Cambodia was 29 per cent for imports and 20 per cent for exports.

Deepening our economic engagement across Southeast Asia is a high priority for Australia, including through Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.

Australia and Cambodia are parties to the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement. The Australian Chamber of Commerce (AusCham) Cambodia was established in 1995 to promote the interests of the Australian business community in Cambodia. The Cambodian Chamber of Commerce has offices in Sydney and Melbourne.

Cambodia and Australia collaborated to publish the Handbook on Investing in Cambodia, which provides an overview of the investment rules and regulations in Cambodia to encourage foreign direct investment. Launched by Special Envoy to Southeast Asia Mr Nicholas Moore AO in July 2023, the handbook was produced through the Mekong Foreign Investment and Critical Infrastructure Initiative, funded through the Mekong-Australia Partnership.

Development Cooperation

Australia is Cambodia’s 5th largest bilateral donor according to the OECD, behind Japan, France, US and Republic of Korea.

Australia is providing support through our bilateral development program to help Cambodia prepare for graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status and promote inclusive trade and investment policies and practices under Cambodia Australia Partnership for Resilient Economic Development (CAPRED).

Australia also works with Cambodia through our regional development programs, including on the issues of human trafficking, labour rights, health and economic integration, and through our capacity building programs in regional organisations such as ASEAN and APEC, and initiatives such as the Mekong-Australia Partnership.

We also support democracy and human rights through our development program. Read more about Australia's development partnership with Cambodia.

People to people links

People to people links between Australia and Cambodia are an important aspect of our relationship. Our links are forged through education, tourism and culture. There are over 57,000 people of Cambodian origin living in Australia (2021 Census). Cambodian refugees began arriving in Australia after the Khmer Rouge regime gained power in 1975, with numbers peaking in the 1980s.

Approximately 7,000 Australians reside in Cambodia, most being dual Cambodian-Australian citizens or expatriates involved in development assistance work or business.

Education

Australia is the most popular English-speaking study destination for Cambodians (UNESCO, 2021). More than 2,800 Cambodian students studied in Australia in 2022. Since 1994, more than 27,000 Cambodians have enrolled to study in Australia, including university students, primary and high school students. More than 1,000 Cambodians have been awarded scholarships to study in Australia under the Australia Awards program and its predecessors.

Since 2014, the New Colombo Plan (NCP) has awarded 14 scholarships and 2634 mobility grants for Australian undergraduates to undertake study and work-based experiences in Cambodia. The Cambodian Government and the private sector in Cambodia have been supportive of the NCP, including by providing internship opportunities. Cambodian organisations can email ncp.business@dfat.gov.au to offer internship opportunities.

Tourism

Tourism numbers were increasing prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018-19, there were 13,800 short-term visitors from Cambodia to Australia, an increase of 21.4 per cent on the previous year. Approximately 127,430 Australians visited Cambodia in 2018 according to Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism.

Culture

Cultural and artistic exchanges are an important part of people-to-people links between Australia and Cambodia. Since 2019, Australia has sponsored Cambodian International Film Festival to connect our cultures, find common ground and a shared sense of community. In 2023, the National Gallery of Australia repatriated three bronze sculptures dating from the 9th - 10th century of 'Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara with attendants’ to Cambodia. In what marked a new era of consultative displays for the National Gallery, the three sculptures will remain on loan and on display at the National Gallery for upwards of three years.

Human Rights

The Australian Government strongly advocates for the promotion and protection of human rights in Cambodia, including at the UN Human Rights Council, through the Universal Periodic Review process and other forums, such as Senior Officials Talks. We regularly engage with the Cambodian Government, civil society, diaspora, and international partners to support human rights and democracy.

In addition to representations and public statements, we support human rights and democracy institutions, including in partnership with the Cambodia country office of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and through the UN Human Rights Education programme in Cambodia. We also provide support through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) projects.

From 2004 to 2022 Australia contributed $46 million to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) to investigate and prosecute senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime and those most responsible for atrocities committed between 1975 and 1979. Our support reinforced our commitment to human rights and holding to account those responsible for serious international crimes.

Defence and security

Australia and Cambodia work closely together to combat people smuggling and trafficking, irregular migration, child sex tourism, narcotics trafficking, fraud and terrorism. An Australian Federal Police liaison office in Phnom Penh cooperates with and assists Cambodian law enforcement agencies to deal with transnational crime.

Since the inauguration of the Australia-Cambodia Immigration Forum (ACIF) in 2011, Australia has been working with Cambodia towards effective border management, migration cooperation and combating transnational crime.

Australia engages with Cambodia on human trafficking, through our cooperation on anti-trafficking initiatives such as the ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking Program and TRIANGLE, and engagement through Australia’s Embassy in Cambodia. We also provide support for the Counter Trafficking in Persons Centre of Excellence in Bangkok. It is the first training facility in the ASEAN region with a dedicated focus on countering trafficking in persons.

Australia has supported Cambodia to develop new laws to more effectively share evidence internationally to prosecute transnational crime and to combat the financing of weapons of mass destruction. Through the Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), we also provided support to Cambodia which assisted their graduation from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in 2023.

Australia's modest defence cooperation program aims to assists the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces to develop a modern, outward-looking defence force that contributes to regional security and stability. The program focuses on key areas such as English language training, peacekeeping, maritime security, governance, and policy development. An Australian Defence Attaché and an Assistant Defence Attaché are based in Phnom Penh.

Since 2006 we have been the largest and longest serving donor to the Clearing for Results program, a multi-donor landmine clearing project managed by UNDP in partnership with the Cambodian Government. This program has cleared more than 260 square kilometres of land and directly benefited over one million people. Australia has spent over $100 million on de-mining programs in Cambodia since 1994.

Follow the Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh's social media for the latest updates.